Bond properties of lightweight concrete - A review

The use of lightweight concrete (LWC) for structural application has attracted great interest due to its significant benefit in terms of design flexibility and overall costing. However, lack of information in terms of the structural performance such as the bond properties could be a hindrance to the application of LWC in the construction industry since insufficient reinforcement-concrete bonding could result in structural deficiency of reinforced concrete elements. Therefore, in order to establish the idea of using LWC as a more common construction material, this review details the bond performance of LWC, which includes lightweight aggregate concrete, foamed concrete and no-fines concrete and the various factors influencing their behaviour. The review also showed that generally the bond behaviour of LWC complied with bond requirements in codes of practice without the need for safety factors, and this could further enhance the feasibility of LWC for structural applications.